FIRST. The People's Liberation
Partisan Detachments
in all regions of Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia,
Montenegro, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Macedonia, Vojvodma, Sandžak and Dalmatia) have as their principal goal
the liberation of the peoples of Yugoslavia from the
invaders and the fight against the invaders' local agents
who are helping them to oppress and terrorize our people.

Second. The greatest enemy of the freedom and
independence of our people is German fascism, followed
by all the other fascist hangers-on marauding throughout
the country. It is consequently the bounden duty of all
patriots to fight relentlessly until the complete annihilation
of these fascist bands.

Third. The Partian Detachments are called
People's
Liberation Partisan Detachments because they are not
fighting units of any particular political party — nor in
this specific case of the Communist Party, regardless of
the fact that Communists are fighting in the front ranks;
rather they are fighting units of the peoples of Yugoslavia
which ought to be joined by all patriots capable of bearing
arms against the invaders, regardless of their political
convictions.

Fourth. The Partisan Detachments have
numerous
tasks to carry out in the common struggle against the
enemies of our people. They must destroy all objects of
use to the fascist invaders: railways, bridges, factories,
workshops, ammunition and arms dumps. They must use
all their powers to prevent the enemy from confiscating
grain, livestock and other foodstuffs from the peasants.
Requisitional grain, livestock and other food supplies must
be taken away from the enemy by force and distributed
among the people, the necessary amount being retained
to supply the detachments. The Partisan Detachments
must prevent the collection of taxes and other levies as
this money is used by the invaders to carry on their war
of conquest and subjugate the people.

Fifth. The Partisan Detachments must defend,
by
force of arms, villages, towns and other settlements from
fascist outrages. They must protect the people's property
from being plundered by the invaders.

Sixth. The Partisan Detachments must destroy
fascist
units whenever they come across them. Particularly kill
officers, Gestapo men, Black Shirts and so on. They must
also be ruthless in annihilating their local henchmen,
traitors to the people of various categories and provocateurs, agents who are handing over in great numbers the
best sons of our people to the fascist hangmen, serving
the occupier like faithful dogs and terrorizing the people.

Seventh. The Partisan Detachments must be
tireless
in stimulating the resistance of the people, raising insurrections among the people and putting themselves at the
head of them as the militant hard core. The experience
of Partisan warfare so far has demonstrated that the
question of the nationwide uprising has been neglected;
it is therefore necessary to make good this shortcoming
without delay lest the Partisans isolate themselves from
the masses who are ready to fight for their just cause.

Eighth. The political line of the Partisan
Detachments
must be: the People's Liberation Anti-fascist Front of all
the nationalities of Yugoslavia,2 regardless of political or
religious beliefs.

Ninth. There must be no exclusiveness in
forming
Partisan Detachments; opportunities for broad initiative
in forming Partisan Detachments must be left open. Once
formed, Partisan Detachments should be immediately
linked with the local and regional HQs and put under
their command.

Tenth. HQs and commanders must be
on the alert
lest the enemy infiltrate spies and agents provocateurs
into the Partisan ranks. If they should appear, they must
be shot immediately and their names published.

Eleventh. The HQs and commanders of
Partisan
Detachments must keep a sharp watch on discipline in
the detachments. Looting, betrayal or other breach of
discipline must be punished severely.

Twelfth. HQs must be responsible for
the supplies
of the fighting men, and for equipping them, etc. Food
supplies must be organized in conjunction with the
Committees of the People's Liberation Front which has
the task of collecting for the People's Liberation Fund.
Where such Committees still do not exist, provisions
should be secured either by cash payment or as voluntary
contributions from peasants and other citizens.

Thirteenth. All Partisan Detachments
and their HOs,
from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia and
Herezegovina, Vojvodina, Dalmatia, Macedonia and Sandžak, come under the supreme command of the GHQ
of the People's Liberation Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia.

HQs must he well linked up with each other for purposes of battle coordination and successful conduct of
operations.

Fourteenth. HOs and commanders
must be responsible
for seeing that the wounded and sick are given the proper
medical care in terms of personal and supplies.

Fifteenth. As the uprising of the masses
spreads and
develops, the necessary commands will be set up; it
is therefore essential for the HQs and commanders to be
on the lookout for tried and tested commanders and
commissars, who can lead the insurgent masses.

Sixteenth. Wherever strategic and other
circumstances are favourable, large-scale military units may, where
needed, be formed by merging number of Partisan
Detachments in order to facilitate the conduct of major
operations.

Notes

1. Published August 10, 1941, in No. I of the "Bulletin" of
the General HO of the People's Liberation Partisan Detach-
ments, printed underground in Belgrade in August, September
and the first half of October 1941. The text of "The Tasks"
(under the words "for the General HO of the People's Libera-
tion Partisan Detachments") was initialled T. T.

2.The People's Front of Yugoslavia, an organization the
platform of which provided a meeting ground for all demo-
cratic and progressive forces in the struggle to liberate the
country, to maintain independence, to preserve peace and to
develop socialism. It was formed as the war approached at
the initiative of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.